Maritime police search for missing passengers in front of the South Korean ferry "Sewol" which sank at the sea off Jindo in this April 16, 2014 file photo. [Photo/Agencies]

Divers recovered 295 bodies from the ship's wreckage and nearby seas before the government stopped underwater searches in November last year. Nine victims remain missing.

The tragedy touched off an outpouring of national grief and soul-searching about public safety. The relatives of the victims, angry that higher-level officials haven't been held accountable, have been calling for a stronger investigation into the government's responsibility for the disaster, which was blamed in part on official incompetence and corruption.

South Korea is paying $74 million to a consortium led by China's state-run Shanghai Salvage Co. to handle the difficult job of raising the 6,800-ton Sewol. The government expects the ship to be salvaged by about next July.

The relatives of the victims hope that raising the ship will help find the nine missing bodies and reveal what caused the ferry to sink.